Sean Loeffler is the unluckiest almost-UFC fighter ever

You probably haven’t heard of UFC almost-veteran Sean Loeffler- that’s because he had the misfortune of pulling a Randleman and hurting himself the night of his fight. He injured his ankle as he was warming up for his 2012 UFC on FUEL TV match against Buddy Roberts and the commissions pulled the plug on the fight. Shitty? Yes. But as Dana White often says: shit happens, and it looked like Loeffler would get another chance in the big leagues. Until he failed a subsequent drug test:

As part of a new UFC PED testing policy, Loeffler was required to have tests administered some time after his failed debut. Loeffler requested the UFC set up a date in the two weeks after they contacted because, as he told them, he was going on vacation to Hawaii and would be unavailable. They obliged him, but gave a date that coincided with a follow-up surgery on the same damaged ankle. Loeffler claims he told the UFC that and was happy to get the test done on the same day if they were. He claims UFC had no issue and the date was set.

Loeffler went through with the surgery as well as the testing and later headed off for Hawaii. That’s when the trouble started. He says he received an e-mail saying he’d tested positive for multiple substances on the prohibited list. Confused, Loeffler contacted his doctor, who believes – and later wrote in a sworn affidavit – the substances that came up were related to prescribed medication from the surgery on his ankle he had the day of his UFC drug tests. Loeffler later took another drug test when he returned from Hawaii, one he says came up clean.

Loeffler thought that’d be enough proof to clear any suspension related to the test, but according to him, the UFC said any positive tests count toward a penalty, including false positives. The UFC wasn’t interested in giving him another fight, at least not anytime soon. It removed his profile from its website and told him it would get back to him.

Damn, that’s some mindless adherence to the rules in the face of pretty convincing mitigating circumstances. The UFC has gotten pretty rigid about this kinda stuff … first there was Pat Healy losing $130,000 worth of bonus money over a freaking joint, and all the ‘@danawhite come on, man don’t be a dick’ tweets in the world couldn’t stop that from happening. Now they’ve turfed out a fighter for testing positive for surgery.

Loeffler is taking the whole thing in religious stride – God must have a different path for him! (Also, God is clearly a jerk.) So rather than cry over spilt milk, Sean is concentrating on running his successful martial arts gyms and a retirement fight in August. Outside the UFC, because stupidity.